Fallen Cherry Blossoms
by RayneUchiha13
Summary: Sakura had gone on after Sasuke left, promising to never fall for him again. what happens when this promise is tested? SasuSaku


**Author's Note: **This is my first SasuSaku one shot… so go easy on me… ok? yes, Sasuke seems OCC in the end, but it made it all the more sweeter..

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, any Naruto affiliates, or such things related to Naruto except the idea for the Fanfic; otherwise, it's all yours, Kishimoto-sama.

**Fallen Cherry Blossoms**

**I**f you were to walk down the busy streets in the marketplace of Konoha, you might hear people discussing upcoming events or their families, common things like that. If you were to walk near the academy, you would hear teacher's giving lesson, the cries of "Bunshin no Jutsu!", or a sensei scolding a misbehaving student. Now, if you were to walk by the Hokage's office, you would hear yells, cries of frustration, and you would see a whip of pink hair, as Sakura Haruno ran about, doing her jobs.

**S**akura was 17 years old, and man was she hot! Her once long bubble gum colored hair had remained its new jaw length, but it had a shine and bounce to it that made it all the more sexier. Her brow had shrunk, so the size wasn't as noticeable as it used to be when she was 12. She had… well, as Naruto had rudely put it once, under the influence of strong sake of course, she had 'developed' quiet nicely. She was taller now, and she had filled out in all of the right places.

**S**he was still smart, and quick with her tongue, but she had grown out of her childhood impatience and attitude, adopting a new, more sensible attitude that focused on her training, not a certain dark haired Uchiha. It had been 5 years since he had left her on the god-forsaken bench, and as far as she was concerned, he could painfully rot in hell, and she would laugh and smile about it.

**A**t least, that's the attitude she lead everyone else to believe she had. But underneath, she still worried about him every night, but she has allowed herself to move on enough to where she could focus on her training, not just Sasuke's wellbeing. Now, she had a village to protect, in between being the ANBU captain, and protecting Naruto, the new Hokage. Yes, at last, he had managed to fulfill his dream: he had become Hokage on the day of his 17th birthday. She had been quiet busy lately, so she had not heard the news.

**T**he village was to have a visitor soon, and Tsunade-sama had placed her in charge of making sure Naruto treated the guest well. _Why the hell is it my job? He's the damn Hokage… surely he's mature enough to handle one guest… _Oh, but how wrong she was. The morning the guest was to arrive, she awoke early, planning to get ready early, so she could plan out how she was going to watch over Naruto AND do the ANBU watch at the gates; lately, the Sound and Leaf Villages had been at a very dangerous point in a relationship… close to war. This caused for all ANBU black ops to put in extra hours.

As the sun streaming through her curtain fell across her eyes, she decided that thoughts of more sleep were out of the question. As she got out of bed, she glanced at her calendar, and received a pang in her chest; it was the 23rd of July, Sasuke-kun's birthday. She looked over at her beside table, and there sat the present she had made for him on his thirteenth birthday, but she had not been able to give it to him. He had betrayed Konoha and left for the Village of Sound less than a week before his birthday, and she had never had the heart to get rid of it. She decided she would take it with her to her office at the Hokage's tower, just to get it out of her room.

**S**he pulled on a crisp red tank top and her black shorts. Noticing their length, she decided to pull on a white skirt on over them. The skirt, having slits half way up her thighs, still showed of the black short-shorts. She then pulled on her black knee high boots, yellow arm warmers, and black gloves. She ran a brush through her coral colored hair and tied her forehead protector into her hair, reaching for her toothbrush. Once she had gotten ready, she bid her mother good bye and leapt out her window, carrying the package tightly in her hands.

**A**s she walked the path through the marketplace leading to the Hokage's Tower, she began to listen to the excited chatter issuing from every female around her. 'Did you hear? He's back!' 'No way! He's back? When did he get back?' 'He appeared last night to Tsunade-sama, claiming that he had unfinished business here… I wonder what though?' Sakura shook her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. _It must be some ninja returning from a mission _She thought dismissively. He couldn't be back; he had left, promising to never return. Why would he suddenly come back? Unless this supposed 'unfinished business' was the reason.

**L**etting her hopeful 12 year old self get the better of her, she quickened her pace, determined to catch him, if her was back... By the time she reached the door of the Hokage's office, her eyes were welled up with tears; tears she had swore she wouldn't waste on him again. Struggling to catch her breath, she yanked the door open, her breath and sobs catching in her throat at the sight in front of her. Feet away from the Hokage's office, there stood a dark haired man, taller and more muscular than Sasuke had been when they were little. She struggled to not cry out to the man, for a tiny part of her feared it wasn't real. That it wasn't her; but, deep inside, she knew, with her whole being, he had returned.

**S**he took a staggering step towards the man that had once been the boy she had fallen so deeply in love with that sleep and eating had once been difficult once he had left her. "Sa….su….ke….-Kun…." She choked out, fresh tears running down her cheeks. The dark haired man turned at hearing his name. His eyes became wide with shock, and then slightly warmer with relief. "Sakura?" he said, his voice slightly hushed, as if he didn't believe it either. She stood there, relief and, strangely, anger flooding through her. She strode over to him quickly, knowing if she took her time, she would change her mind. "Hn… coming to cry on me?" he asked, being the only one who knew he said that in an attempt to cover up the fact that he felt like a hole had been filled in his chest.

**O**nce she had reached him, she drew her hand back, and crashed it into his pale cheek. His head turned to the side, as he was caught off guard. "That, you bastard, was for leaving me on the god-forsaken bench five years ago! And that," she said, and she slapped his other cheek this time, "Was for all of the time and tears I wasted on you! And that," she said again, this time kissing him lightly on the cheek, "Was to tell you, no matter how bad it hurt, I forgive you." She looked at him, her emerald eyes livid with anger and years of relief.

**H**e was stunned. She had slapped him, twice! Then she had kissed him! What had he done to her? He still loved her, but he had never told her that he had loved her in the first place. He looked at her, and **smiled**, not smirked, **smiled**.

**S**asuke smiled, looking at his coral haired ex-teammate. "Sakura… are you willing to forgive me so easily? I might break your heart again…" he said, all traces of joking and light-heartedness suddenly disappearing from his voice. At the is point, Naruto, who didn't know Sasuke had returned, came walking out of his office, until he recognized the similar yet so different form of his teammate in front of him. "Yo, Sasuke-teme! You were the guest, weren't you?" Naruto seemed slightly angry, but possibly not as angry as he normally would be, seeing that Sasuke had, indeed, come back. Sakura cast her sight to the floor, and whispered so only Sasuke could hear, "Sasuke-kun… I don't care… nothing can amount to the pain I have felt over the last five years…"

**S**asuke looked ashamed. He then whispered, "Sakura, fake cry on me.. I'll act disgusted, and then you can run out and I'll sign my re-instatement papers. Then, we'll meet later and discuss this. If the dobe suspects something, he may not accept me back." He had a point, Sakura decided. So, she let the tears she had been restraining fall freely, and then latched onto Sasuke's chest, sobbing and choking out, "Sasuke-kun! I—I've missed you! I'm so glad you're back!" Sasuke, faking disgust, pushed her off of him, but he really missed the warmth of her body that close to his.

"**S**akura, I'm back… but my feelings for you haven't changed… I see that, five years later, you are still annoying as hell…." He looked distant as he said this, but Sakura knew it hurt him almost more that it did her, even though she knew this was charade. "B-but Sasuke-kun…." Her voice trailed off weakly, and after being shocked by the fake glare Sasuke gave her, she turned and ran from the Hokage's tower. As Naruto was about to ask Sasuke what the hell his problem was, Tsunade walked up. Seeing as she was still technically the Hokage, she had the power to accept Sasuke's papers. Naruto would not be able to take power until he was eighteen. Tsunade, who had seen through the whole charade, signed the papers, and as Sasuke left, told naruto not to bother Sasuke about what he had just seen. Naruto seemed like he was going to object at first, but upon seeing Tsunade fix her fingers to where she could flick him, he decided to listen.

**S**akura was waiting for Sasuke at their old training ground, his present still in her hands. The tag still read _"Happy 13th Birthday, Sasuke-kun!"_ But she knew he would, hopefully, appreciate it all the same. As his figure appeared across the field, her heart skipped a beat, and she became happy and slightly giddy. Once he had reached her, he pulled her into an embrace, one that signified his apologies for everything. "Sakura," he said in a deep, husky voice, "I'm sorry... for all of the shit I've put you through in the last five years.. Do you truly forgive me?" He looked at her, his onyx eyes full of remorse and sorrow. She looked into his eyes, not believing her ears. But she knew it was real, and she knew that Sasuke was hugging her, apologizing. "Sasuke-kun… like I said back at the tower: I had forgiven you the instant I saw you. Yes, I know that you might break my heart," she said quickly, knowing he was about to interrupt to tell her this. "But I don't care! I love you, and you love me! Admit it!" Those weren't the words she had planned on saying, but it had all happened so fast, she didn't think.

**S**asuke looked at her for a minute, and then, without a warning, crashed his lips onto hers, pulling her into a hungry, needy kiss. They broke a part a few minutes later for air. Sakura felt like her heart was soaring. "Sasuke-kun… does this mean... that you… feel the same?" she asked tentatively. Sasuke looked at her, and then an amused look spread across his face. "Sakura, I've liked you ever since we were in the academy together as little children. I admit, I let revenge get in my way, but now that I have my revenge, I want to…" at this, he broke off, looking nervous and, swear to Kami, he was blushing!

**S**akura, noticing this, asked immediately. "Sasuke, what's wrong?" He looked at her and opened his mouth sputtering out his question. "Sakurawouldyouhelpmerevivemyclan?" She looked at him, and once she got the gist, turned a brilliant shade of pink. "Sasuke-kun, I would love to help you revive you clan!" She smiled brightly, and then remembered his present. "Umm... Sasuke-kun, I have something for you…" she held out the small parcel, her heart pounding in her chest; surely he could hear it too? Sasuke took the small parcel, read the tag, and smile apologetically. "I'm sorry I wasn't here five years ago to get this…" having said this, he carefully unwrapped the present. Inside was an early picture of team seven; they were only twelve, thirteen at the oldest. But, the picture frame was wrapped in a red ribbon; then, Sasuke recognized it: It was the ribbon Sakura had worn in her hair back in the academy days. The same ribbon that had attracted Sasuke's eyes so many times when they were younger. The red and pink had mixed together had always fascinated him.

**H**e smiled, taking Sakura into another kiss. Once he had pulled away, he muttered the same words he had muttered five years ago; only, this time, they were in a different text. He was here to stay, and he would revive his clan with the girl that had haunted his dreams for the last five years. The tears sparkling on her cheeks, her emerald eyes livid with fury and hurt; she was still beautiful in his dreams, but it hurt him to see the pain he had caused her. He smiled at her, feeling content, sitting beside her, her head lying on his shoulder, the picture of his first squad in one hand, the other across her shoulders, holding her close; for now, and for ever.

The End!


End file.
